Soul's edge
by Dustbunnyprophet
Summary: Nori liked her life. Her home might have been a bit too empty and a bit too silent, and sometimes she would have given anything to hear Dori's scolding voice or Ori's giggles, but it was a good life. It was hers and she was free to enjoy it. What more could Nori wish for? A companion piece to "Lonely souls" [Reincarnation!AU, Modern!AU Fem!Nori][Souls series - part IV]
1. Honey, there is no right way

1\. Honey, there is no right way

Her life.

* * *

A/N And here it is, the fourth instalment of the series. I hope you'll like it. :)

* * *

The sheets tangled around her legs as she stirred. She drowsily lifted her eyelids open and a groan escaped her lips as the sharp sunlight hit her irises. Nori buried her head in the pillow, feeling the last tendrils of slumber hang around her drowsy mind. She was almost lulled back to sleep when a weight suddenly sprawled over her midsection and Nori's head snapped up, her body propelling itself upwards and throwing off the arm while her eyes locked on the sleeping man who was lying by her side and she exhaled loudly, feeling the harbingers of a pounding headache throb between her temples.

She rubbed her eyes, scowling at the after-taste of cheap liquor and nicotine in her parched mouth and sparing a glance at the tattooed back of the man before she began rummaging through the sheets of the unfamiliar bed, looking for her undergarments. She dressed herself as hastily as her growing hangover permitted, careful not to leave behind anything she might miss - like that neat golden chain the bloke was wearing around his neck - thin and not worth much, but Nori had never been picky on her spoils.

She grinned, leaning over him and liberating the chain in a swift motion that wouldn't have disturbed the lightest of sleeps. The man didn't even stir and Nori's grin deepened as she carefully tucked her prize within her bra and let herself out of the house.

The door clicked closed behind her and she took out her package of cigarettes. She stopped a moment outside the small terrace house, lighting the cigarette and dragging a deep smoke before she stepped on the street, strolling towards her home with a slightly wobbly gait and an aching need to put some coffee into her system.

There was barely any traffic on that Sunday morning and Nori passed rows upon rows of houses, all bathed in the early summer sunlight that had broken out of the usually dreary greyness of the Belfast sky. She kept smoking as she walked, feeling the pounding in her head grow with every step. By the time Nori had reached her apartment door her headache had grown into something so monstrous she wasted no time, striding towards the bathroom cabinet and swallowing an aspirin without bothering to fetch herself a glass of water. As the pill grated its way down her throat she moved towards the kitchen, musing on how a glass of water would do her good. But her hands automatically busied themselves with the kettle.

Nori turned the appliance on and by the time she had poured the coffee in the filter the water had begun boiling and she reverently poured it over the coffee, inhaling a lungful of the bitter aroma. Mahal, she _loved_ coffee. She leaned on the kitchen counter while she waited, closing her eyes with a groan and wishing she could be still asleep.

Mornings had always been Nori's least favourite part of the day - how her older brother had managed to smile at crack of dawn had always been one of the deepest mysteries of life for Nori - but hungover mornings were disgusting.

Not that she regretted the night before. Ricky, Jimmy and her had been celebrating, downing shot after shot and grinning smugly at how splendidly they had pulled their last job. Splendidly, indeed. Nori had to admit it had been a masterpiece. There hadn't been a single hitch. They had been in, they had got the goods, they had been out. No trace, no alarm, no accidents. Nothing. They had been out of Derry before one could say knife. And even the payment had been delivered without any problems. All in all it had amounted to a small miracle and in Nori's line of work, miracles were few enough and much too far in between to hope for a repeat any time soon. So she had thanked to powers above for that small mercy in the only way she knew how – by getting as sloshed as she could and finding something good enough to shag. Not that she remembered much of the latter, but the way her body pleasantly ached told her she had _definitely_ enjoyed herself.

The coffee was done and she poured herself a mug of coffee, dropping inside a generous amount of sugar before she leaned back against the counter. Nori was tempted to down it all, but she had enough sense of self-preservation left not to scorch her throat in her haste. So she stirred it, wondering whether she could stomach any food. But just the thought of it made her queasy.

Breakfast would have to wait, she resolved. And she would need a shower first, at any rate. And then some rest. Mahal knew it had been long enough since she had returned from a job without any collateral damage to fix in the aftermath. She was going to enjoy it. And if she got bored, well, there were plenty of fish out there in the sea with whom she could go and enjoy _herself_.

Nori wasn't too picky after all.

* * *

The music blared from the loudspeakers, fiddles mixing with a croaking voice which sung indiscernible lyrics that drowned in the loud chatter of the patrons. It was a busy Friday night and the pub was packed with people in various stages of inebriation, standing around with their drinks or sitting at the crowded tables. Nori was leaning with her elbow on the counter, her head thrown back as she cackled at the rowdy joke Ricky had told her, his wide grin exposing his crooked teeth.

They were drinking their second round of lager and killing time while they waited for the man Jimmy had arranged them to meet. He had told Nori and Ricky the guy had a business proposition and they had agreed to hear him out. Not that they were desperate for money – their last job had paid well enough – but after a week of sleeping, drinking and shagging, Nori had found herself wrapped up in her thoughts way too much and it had soured her good mood.

She needed to be in motion. To _do_ something. To feel that adrenaline-induced giddiness that took over her whenever she rearranged the wires of the security systems before they would break into wherever they were paid to do so - she wasn't picky, warehouses, offices, various facilities, even the odd cottage every now and them. Any kind of burglary did it for her. As long as she could sneak in and out unseen she had no preferences. And Jimmy was resourceful, he had good connections, so Ricky and her, along with the occasional associate did most of their work outside Belfast, which was exactly the way Nori liked it.

The farthest from home, the better.

Nori had always lived by that motto, making sure not to steal in Thorin's Halls if it could be helped – well, rather, not stealing anything _big_ enough that its absence would be noticed. And admittedly, Nori had done so for Dori's and Ori's sake, and their reputation, but even in this day and age it was a good philosophy as far as burgling ethics went.

She took a sip of her beer when suddenly Ricky's back straightened, interrupting her musings and she followed the mousy-haired man's gaze, looking over her shoulder until her eyes locked on a large man, roughly a foot taller than her, with bulging muscular arms that threatened to tear the seams of his cheap shirt. He was making his way towards them with the cocky look of someone who felt like they owned the place. Their man, indeed.

He swaggered towards them and she observed him for a moment more, until his beady eyes locked on hers, trailing over Nori in a way that made her curiosity abruptly morph into a sneer of annoyance – but which she tried to contain for the sake of business.

"You're Jimmy's men." he said once he stopped near the side of the counter where they were sitting and Ricky grinned.

"In the flesh." he replied cockily, then gesturing towards her "Although Maggie here is a bit more of the feminine variety."

"Not that it makes her a lady, mind you." he added, and normally Nori would have chuckled at Ricky's teasing tone, but the tall man's lips pulled in a feral grin while his eyes travelled to her cleavage and all humour was lost to her.

He motioned for the bartender and ordered them a round of whiskey, casually leaning his hand on the back of Nori's bar-stool. She felt her shoulders roll in an instinctive urge to lash out, but she kept herself in check. For the time being.

She liked the bloke lesser by the minute.

"So," Ricky's voice snapped her from her dark musings "What kind of job are we talking about."

* * *

Two hours later Ricky was barely standing upright and had a brunette shoving her tongue down his throat in a display of groping and sucking sounds that made Nori gaze in morbid fascination before she shook her head, throwing her long red braid over her shoulder and downing the rest of her drink. It was time to go home. Let Ricky enjoy himself the one time he got lucky. Although, she mused, the woman must have been well in her cups, because Ricky wasn't a looker on his best days and after all he had drunk even his sense of humour – Ricky's only redeeming quality – had reduced itself to unintelligible slurring.

Rolling her eyes Nori grabbed her handbag and began making her way out of the bar. All in all it hadn't gone badly. The man – Ken, he had introduced himself – had offered them a job easy enough for the pair of them. It didn't pay badly either, so Ricky and her had readily agreed, and Nori would have called it a successful business meeting if it hadn't been for the utterly infuriating way that bearlike git had behaved.

Nori knew she was attractive – it was a fact she had enjoyed in both her lives, with little to no restraint. There had never been a shortage of men and women to have a good time with. But on her own terms. The leering gaze of that man had set the hairs up on the back of Nori's neck - it had reminded her of orcs, bloodthirsty and more than willing to ravish. It had made her feel a particular blend of helplessness that made her want to kick him in the groin and sneer victoriously.

She pulled the pub door's open and stepped out into the warm summer night, feeling a light buzz from all the liquor she had downed. Her lips curved somewhere between a smirk and a smile as she began walking away from the pub and the less than pleasant thoughts which had twirled in her mind. She veered into a side alley, walking in the general direction of her home. Nori was rummaging through her handbag for her package of cigarettes when she heard a set of heavy footsteps echo in the empty street. She stopped in her tracks, trying to be natural about it while she freed her left hand from the handbag. The steps were closer now and Nori turned her head slightly, glancing towards them.

The orange light of the street-lamp illuminated the shaven head of the man who had hired her and Ricky's services. He was a few feet away from her, but the pointed gaze in her direction told her she would not be slipping away under the pretence of not having seen him.

"Fancy meeting you here." he told her with a fake spontaneity "Maggie, right?"

"Indeed." she drawled tersely, eyeing him coldly and not liking a single bit the way he was looking at her.

"Goin' home early?" he asked, stepping closer and Nori had to fight the instinct to flee. Or fight. Well, anything but standing there and letting him come closer with that confident gait that wobbled just enough to tell her he was not sober. Splendid, she thought bitterly

"It's not early." she replied "But yes, I'm on my way."

And she made to turn and stride away, but he said

"Want some company?"

His eyes had once again found the way to her cleavage and Nori lost all pretence coldly replying.

"It's not going to happen mate." and she made to brush past him.

Put her steps were halted by the sudden grip of the man's fingers as they closed around Nori's biceps

"Don't play difficult." he snarled, pulling her towards him "You know you want it."

"No, I don't." she spat back.

And then she kicked him in the shin while at the same time she landed a punch on his throat. He wheezed, losing his balance and falling down on the pavement. His fingers were still on her upper arm and she tumbled down with him, while she pulled at his fingers, trying to set herself free from his vice-like grip, but they would not budge. His grip was unrelenting even as he clawed for breath.

Her heartbeats resounded loudly within her ears and Nori spared no thought as she kicked off with her boot, catching him in the stomach. His eyes blazed in sudden fury, dragging her closer with force. Nori felt the tarmac grate the bare skin of her forearms and she cursed loudly while she tried to get away from him.

"Leave me!" she cried "You son of a..."

He slapped her and his breaths came in a mixture of huffs and choking noises as he pinned her down with both his hands. Nori spat at him, wriggling to set herself free, pulling her knees as close as she could while his fingers dug in the muscle of her arms. Suddenly she kicked off with all the strength she possessed, kneeing him in the groin.

"You bitch!" he yelled in pain, rolling off her.

A second later Nori's switchblade was in her hand and she breathed heavily, jumping to her feet and grabbing her handbag in the process. He was still doubled over in pain and she sidestepped him, stopping only to viciously kick him on the mouth, before she strode away.

* * *

Nori cursed loudly, the disinfectant burning on the scratched skin of her forearms as she washed away the blood and grime. She was still fuming, the leftover adrenaline coursing through her body and making her twitchy. She could scarcely believe the events which had unfolded less than an hour before. There was no way in the bloody world Nori was going to work for that...

She hissed, the gauze touching a patch of skin where the tarmac had scratched deeper into her skin. Nori would have to call Ricky in the morning and tell him the job was off. If he hadn't been drunk out of his wits, Nori would have done so immediately – Ricky and her had been working together since she had dropped school at the age of sixteen to get back to doing what Nori had always been good at and Ricky was the closest thing she had to a friend, even if she trusted him only so much. They were both thieves after all.

She heaved a sigh. These were the moments she missed most achingly her brothers. Dori would have fussed, bandaging her arms and Ori would have looked at her wide-eyed, fidgeting with his hands in worry. And she would have pretended she didn't like it when Dori mothered Nori - the way it had always been.

Nori threw the gauze in the sink, scowling at it and strode out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. She opened the middle cupboard, taking out a half-drunk bottle of gin and uncorking it before she took a large gulp from the bottle. It burned its trail down her gullet the same way the disinfectant had done with her skin and Nori felt her tension ease a bit.

She hated when things like that happened. She _bloody_ hated it. It wasn't the first time someone had not taken no for an answer – and her mind supplied her with the memory of the time she had ended up knifing the bloke who had tried to force himself on her with his own switchblade. She still carried the blade. A reminder. And a handy weapon, at that.

Nori knew it was a risk that came with the job, what with the ilk of people she surrounded herself with, but it didn't stop her from feeling anger bubble deep within her, along with a deeper and more hidden trembling within her limbs which she tried to pretend was not there.

She took another gulp of the cheap gin and sat at the kitchen table, lighting a cigarette and taking a greedy drag of smoke. She _hated_ it. All of it.

And yet she loved her life. She loved the freedom, the lack of restraint, the feeling of being _alive_ , the rapid beating of her heart when she walked on the edge between danger and safety, between owning the world and being dragged on the filthy tarmac of a back alley because a _prick_ could not understand that whatever he had inside his jeans was not a Mahal-blessed gift for her that she could not live without.

Her fingers clutched around the cigarette as she held it above the ashtray. It quivered along with her whole arm. Nori cursed loudly, trying to rein her body in, drinking down the rest of the gin and putting put the cigarette after taking a long drag of smoke, but she kept trembling and she lifted her feet on the kitchen chair, hugging her knees.

 _Mahal_ how she hated it.

* * *

Her stomach woke her up. She scrambled out of bed with her eyes half-closed and ran to the bathroom, barely having the time to collapse in front of the toilet before she retched. She pressed one of her palms on the wall tiles while she tried to keep her hair away with the other. She breathed through her nose, while her empty stomach heaved once again, but nothing but bile rose up.

Nori's head was lightly pounding and she tiredly cursed herself for drinking half a bottle of gin, while she tried to drag herself to her feet. She opened the tap, washing her mouth and went to scrub her teeth viciously. But the taste of the toothpaste made her stomach lurch once again and she spat it out, trying to smother the urge to dry-heave. She rinsed her mouth with water and looked at the ghoulish reflection of her face in the mirror.

She looked as tired and horrible as she felt, her ginger hair tangled in rat's nest atop her head and deep dark circles under her eyes, stark in contrast with her bloodless visage. And the faint violet outlines of a bruise on her right cheek. The memories from the night before rose to the forefront of her mind and she inhaled sharply, sneering before she bent down to wash her face with cold water. It helped little with her appearance but it sharpened her senses slightly and she decided she had no strength to deal with her abused looks right now – not that she could do much about the bruise that was blossoming on her cheek.

With a light growl she exited the bathroom and hobbled to the kitchen. As she crossed the doorway she cast a glance to the clock. And promptly stopped in her tracks. _Six_ in the morning?She was _up_ at six in the morning?What in Mahal's blazing forges was wrong with her? She felt her eyes widen in bewilderment. She _never_ rose before eight, nine, sometimes even noon - after all her work was best done under the cover of darkness, so it had practically been a lifetime since Nori had risen early in the morning.

She shook her head.

She needed coffee. She could _not_ deal with any of that – hangovers, bruises, waking up at crack of dawn and telling Ricky about the disastrous turn the night had taken. And the fear, the pocket of fear that still lingered at the bottom of her protesting stomach.

No, she thought with a scowl, she could not deal with any so early in the state she was.

She needed coffee.

* * *

Chapter title taken from "Someone New" by Hozier.


	2. I'm breaking in

2\. I'm breaking in

The thrill of it.

* * *

A/N I admit my knowledge of ships is alas limited to ferries and harbours (as it happens I've never been aboard a cargo ship), so if I made any glaring mistake do please point them out so I can correct them (or any other mistake for that part, of course). :)

* * *

Two loud knocks resounded through her apartment and Nori stirred from the half-slumber she had descended into after texting Ricky that morning. She had told him to call off the job, offering no explanation. She had been raw and her stomach had been horribly unsettled, so she had pressed her cheek on the armrest of the sofa in her living room and fallen asleep. Nori rubbed her eyes with her knuckles, yawning her way to the front door and leaning towards the peep-hole. Predictably enough, her long-term business associate was standing on her doorstep, light jacket thrown over a shoulder while he scratched the back of his mousy-haired head, throwing inconspicuous looks over his shoulder. It was an ingrained habit – to be on the lookout for the cops – when they were out on the open and Nori smirked, unlocking the door before she yanked it open. She stepped behind it while Ricky walked into her hallway.

He opened his mouth to greet her but a heartbeat later his eyes clocked on her cheek. And his jaw snapped closed. Ah, yes, the bruise - Nori suddenly recalled.

"What happened to you?" he demanded in a serious voice, closing the door behind himself. The shift in Ricky's posture and mood was almost palpable and Nori scowled.

"We're not taking that job." Nori told him in lieu of an answer, turning her back to him and walking towards the kitchen with the sound of Ricky's footsteps following her.

She turned the kettle on, glancing behind her shoulder to look at the balding man. The grim line of his chapped lips told her he had understood her meaning. Ricky may have been foolish in his behaviour more often than not, but he was not stupid. It was an assumption many had wrongly made and it had always come with a high price and the infinite satisfaction of both Ricky and herself.

"'Twas him, yes?" he asked, dragging her from her thought and she took notice of the anger that dripped from the evenness of his voice.

A voice that took a very dangerous edge when he said

"Did he..."

"No." she said tersely "Or you know there would be no one to inform we're not doing their job, now would there?"

The bottoms of the two mugs she had extracted from the cupboard clicked hollowly on the kitchen counter. She opened another cupboard, taking out the jar of coffee.

"But he tried." Ricky observed, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes, _tried_ being the operative word here." she replied "And he now happens to have fewer teeth. Isn't it strange?"

Her mouth twisted in a lopsided grin that was no doubt as shark-like as the satisfaction that swarmed through her when she recalled the exact moment her foot had connected with his mouth. Last night there had been too much adrenaline coursing through her to make any sense of it - her mind had been reduced to lizard-brain assessment and sense of survival. But now, in the small half-sunlit kitchen with the freshly formed scabs on her forearms tugging at her skin whenever she flexed her elbow, Nori could perfectly recall the cry that had escaped the man's lips when her heartfelt kick had landed - just like she could hear the wet snap of breaking teeth - and a dark satisfaction coursed viciously through her.

Ricky fished a cigarette from her pack which was lying atop the kitchen table and sat himself down, leaning his elbows on the chair's back while he lit the fag. His stubble-covered cheeks hollowed as he inhaled the first smoke and she turned her back to him, taking care of the coffee. He didn't say anything, but Nori didn't need him too – his face spoke volumes.

He was pissed off beyond measure. His hands twitched and Nori knew he would have been more than happy to beat that man to a bloody pulp just for the thought, let alone having actually _tried_ to have his way with her without her consent.

And watching the coffee drip off the filter Nori felt something uncoil inside her. It wasn't surprise. No, there was nothing unexpected about Ricky's reaction – and it was beside the point that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself like Nori had always been – but the notion that someone cared enough to have murder in their eyes still evoked an array of emotions under her breastbone which Nori had always associated uniquely with Dori and Ori. Ricky cared too, though – she knew that, they had been up to mischief together for over a decade, but she tended to forget it sometimes.

She felt the corner of her lips tug upwards in the ghost of a smile as she poured the coffee in the mugs and put one in front of Ricky. This strange man of dubious morality and even lesser taste in, well, everything, was truly the closest thing she had to a friend, and it made her happy to know she was not completely alone. Her smile lingered on her lips as she leaned the edge of the mug to her lips and took a sip of her coffee, only to abruptly disappear in grimace as she nearly spat the coffee back in the mug with a grimace It was awful.

"What are you doin', Maggie?" Ricky asked confused when she emptied the contents of her mug in the sink.

"Tastes awful." she explained, still feeling the sour after-taste of it in her mouth.

"Seems fine to me." Ricky retorted, taking another gulp "Nothin' wrong with it."

"Sorry if I trust my own mouth better." she replied, filling a glass with water and washing away the taste "I've seen you drink stuff that should have melted your stomach inside out."

"'Tis true." he said, baring his crooked teeth in a large smile, before adding "But I still like your coffee. Shouldn't have thrown it away."

Nori looked at him, shaking her head with a sigh. A strange man, indeed.

* * *

A fortnight later Nori and Ricky were sitting in the basement of Jimmy's terrace house, perched on the old threadbare couch which had no doubt belonged to the infamous grandmother Jimmy had inherited the house from. Nori had been still a teenage girl making her way in their milieu when her namesake had died but she remembered the stories that had been circulating back in the day about the old Mrs. Corr who had been rumoured to have aided the IRA during the Troubles, hiding weapons and people in the very basement Nori was currently sitting. Maggie Corr was a bit of a legend amongst many people she knew and Jimmy had exploited the connection like only he was capable of doing, securing jobs with people who would have never worked with Ricky and her otherwise.

The man in question was standing with his pudgy hands on the backrest of a chair, looking at them intently and Nori leaned forward, hearing the springs under her buttocks creak under her she as flicked the ash from her cigarette on the ashtray.

"You know I don't like it." she told him leaning back on the hard backrest where the sponge lining it had crumbled from the years of usage "I don't work where I live."

Her tone left no room for argument and the short man heaved a sigh, pushing his glasses up the ridge of his sweaty nose before he spoke in his customary soft voice.

"Maggie, this is a big hit." Jimmy said with a tinge of exasperation "The Russian needs people of your skill for this job. And Ricky's. Not to mention he'll pay handsomely."

"Look, I don't care what the Russian needs." she drawled taking a drag of smoke just as Ricky asked

"How handsomely?"

Nori shot him an incredulous look – he had always agreed on her policy, saying it made sense and admiring her for having nothing worse than an ASBO after a successful decade of working in their branch, what in bloody Mahal 's name... Ah. Of course, she thought, noticing the way he kept fidgeting his hands. He was gambling again. She should have seen it sooner, though - she mused. He _had_ been drinking fewer pints of beer and generally spending less than she was used seeing him spend during the past week. So he either lost most of his money or -worse – he owed someone. Splendid.

She shook her head in disapproval – Ricky had many virtues, but dealing with money had never been one. And pursed her lips when Jimmy, who had sensed an opening, began speaking in earnest. He gave them a detailed account of the job they were being hired to do – the job they would _refuse_ to do if Nori had any say in it. It was a challenging bit of burglary – stealing a yet nondescript something from a still nameless ship harboured in Belfast's Port from a crime syndicate that apparently dealt in smuggling and had therefore the ship rather heavily guarded – and Nori would have been lying to herself if she didn't admit it perked her interest.

She loved the thrill of it, the rush of adrenaline that would come when she walked the thin line between safety and danger, the swell of satisfaction when she completed a job, besting all security. But at the same time Nori didn't want to burgle in Belfast. Especially when the stakes would be so high. Jimmy's contact – the Russian as he called him – was likely mob, if Nori knew anything about the criminal milieu, and the smugglers they would be stealing from were _certainly_ mob. The least disastrous way in which this job could go wrong would be getting arrested.

No, she didn't like it. She snuffed out the cigarette, scowling as Jimmy finished his exposition and Ricky looked at her expectantly.

"I still don't like it." she said, but she noticed to her chagrin the bite in her voice was gone.

Both her business associates seemed to notice too, because Ricky grinned and Jimmy sat down on the chair, crossing his legs with all the patience of the world. His expression was neutral but she knew he knew she would eventually yield. And her scowl deepened - Nori had grown predictable and that was not good. But at the same time it was difficult to pretend her limbs weren't humming in anticipation at the thought of having to get aboard a ship, dodge the watch – and most likely armed guards - disable security systems, steal a briefcase from an officer's cabin and make their way back to shore without being seen. It was delicious.

It was also too close to home and much, much too risky.

"I bloody hate you." she said without sentiment lighting another cigarette even though her mouth felt still parched from the last one and her stomach protested.

"No, you don't." Jimmy replied, with a smile that was as soft as it could be dangerous.

And Jimmy _was_ a dangerous man, in spite of his appearance. He was excellent in meeting demand with offer and he had little scruples. But they had been working together for very long and she trusted him as implicitly as she trusted Ricky even though she knew they were hardly the only people Jimmy worked with.

"Fine." she said at last, casting him a filthy look "But I'm only doing it because Ricky here hasn't learned yet how to count cards."

"Wha.."Ricky spluttered and she grinned, winking.

* * *

The summer night was nippier than usual, the wind cold on the few inches of exposed skin her balaclava did not cover. Nori inhaled the salty air, crouching in the shadow of a cargo container while she waited for the watch to pass by. The metallic sound of the ship-to-shore cranes mingled with the thud of the booted feet on the deck. She held her breath, waiting for the sound to grow fainter and then she sprung to her feet, nodding to Ricky who had hidden nearby.

They had managed to get aboard the ship without much trouble, but they had quite a way to make from the prow to the stern - where the superstructure which held the bridge and the crew and officers' accommodations loomed white under the halogen lamps. And Ricky and Nori had so far encountered far more armed guards then they had been led to expect.

Nori moved silently, feeling rather than hearing Ricky follow her as she zigzagged through the cargo containers, following a path that aimed to avoid any encounters. It wasn't difficult per se, all she had to do was listen - the guards did not bother to be stealthy in their movements.

They had nearly reached the superstructure when they heard the sound of an approaching crew member and dodged behind a container just a moment before a man in a jumpsuit strolled down the passage, whistling under his breath. An engineer most likely, she reasoned, taking it his appearance while he passed them by, oblivious to their presence.

A moment later Ricky tapped her elbow and Nori nodded, getting her feet back into motion. They reached the tall metal structure and began ascending the stairs, trying to keep their footsteps as silent as humanly possible and sticking to the shadows. The climbed three flights of metal stairs before they reached the door they had been instructed to find. Ricky pressed his ear on the glossy paint of the door, making sure the coast was clear before he pushed it open. He strode quickly inside and Nori followed, walking towards the Chief mate's cabin. Ricky stood guard while she did quick work of the lock and with a dull click the door opened.

The room was small, and very neat. The bed was made, the desk was empty but for a closed laptop and half-empty bottle of water. There were no belongings laying around the room and Nori began her search in earnest, crouching down to look under the bed while she heard Ricky open the wardrobe. A moment later he was tapping her shoulder to get her attention and she lifted herself from the floor looking at the insides of the wardrobe.

There were clothes neatly folded and stacked in equally neat piles, socks rolled and placed in a heap, several towels and amongst it all, a safe. It was a standard model she had seen more than once, not the strongest but still with certain resistance against mechanical and electrical tools. She sighed, it would them several minutes to make a hole in the metal. Ricky took the backpack off, deftly extracting the necessary tools to drill a hole large enough for a borescope to fit. Nori kept her eyes fixed on the cabin door while her colleague worked his way through the steel surface.

Jimmy had mentioned the briefcase would be under a heavier security then they were used and she was glad Ricky had anticipated the possibility of a safe. It had been a while since they had had to crack one, but Ricky's hands worked with ease. She watched him pull the drill out and place it on the floor. A moment later he was inserting the borescope inside the circular hole in the metal of the safe and throwing her a look that said

"You'll do the honours?" without uttering a single word - it was too risky to speak, stealth was their greatest asset – and Nori nodded, crouching by his side and looking at the inside of the lock mechanism as Ricky began to try the combination.

It took them roughly fifteen minutes to open the safe and once they heard the click of the lock opening they both shot up to their feet, Ricky putting away their tools while Nori looked at the insides of the safe, clocking on a small leather briefcase that looked exactly like the one Jimmy had described. She was curious at its contents, but Jimmy had told them the Russian wanted discretion, and her curiosity wasn't worth the bullet in the forehead she might earn if the man caught wind of her hypothetical snooping, so she merely took the briefcase in one hand while she closed the safe and rearranged the contents of the wardrobe so at first glance the burglary wouldn't be obvious.

She closed the wardrobe door and followed Ricky out in the hallway.

* * *

Her boots hit the tarmac and she ran towards the base of the crane, hiding in the shadow of the structure, while she waited for Ricky to join her. A moment later he was sprinting toward her and she peeled her back off the sturdy steel moving forward. They had secured the briefcase to Ricky's backpack while they climbed down the cargo ship and now they only needed to get out of the Port without being seen. She felt her nostrils flare in determination, while her whole body thrummed in anticipation. It was her favourite part, the hardest leg of their job dealt with but not yet finished. There were countless things that could go wrong at this stage and the implicit danger sent a jolt of adrenaline through her which made her lips twist into a feral grin under the wool of her balaclava.

They made their way through the maze of containers piled one atop the other, running when they had no shades to cover them and tiptoeing when they heard sound nearby. Soon enough they were leaving the Port's premises and Nori took her balaclava off, shaking her head to free her long braid from the garment. Ricky followed suit, making his gait far less suspicious in spite of his attire being less than ordinary. They were both dressed in dark garments that hugged their bodies close enough not to get in the way but not so that they would hinder their movements.

They heard the sound of footsteps approaching from the road and Ricky unzipped his jacket, revealing a garish T-shirt that would hopefully be enough to fool whomever they were about to pass by while they made their way to Ricky's car. Nori hastily followed his lead, taking her jacket off and throwing it over her shoulder while she hooked her arm to Ricky's leaning into him with a wobbly enough gait that would make her seem sloshed. It was their usual disguise and in the past decade it had worked splendidly, so well in fact the police itself had overlooked their presence in the relative proximity of a crime scene more than once.

The footsteps grew closer and a moment later three figures stepped under the orange light of a street-lamp. Nori giggled into Ricky's shoulder and he murmured some nonsense, seemingly paying no attention to the men ahead. They were not moving and their stance made the hairs at the back of her neck rise, but she kept purposefully misstepping while they got nearer and nearer.

And then Ricky's stance shifted, just as her eyes took in the face of one of the three men. _Shit_.

Ricky took a half step ahead, effectively standing between Nori and the man who had attacked her a weeks before, and the two men who flanked him.

"Ken, fancy seeing you here." Ricky said a cheerful voice that had no cheer in it and was all but a snarl "A fine night to take a stroll."

"Piss off, mate. This has nothing to do with you." the large man slurred through his missing front teeth, fingers curled into fists and broad shoulders squared aggressively "This is between that bitch and I."

He pointed a meaty finger in Nori's direction and she gritted her teeth not to snarl something back. They were outnumbered, with three large men against Ricky and her. It wasn't worth the risk to provoke them. And besides, they had a job to conclude. Nori moved her left hand towards her pocket, feeling the cold surface of her switchblade under her fingers and she gripped it tight.

"Now, a bit of politeness won't kill you." Ricky retorted with an unspoken threat that Ken picked on.

"Are you threatening me, huh?" he spat, puffing his chest while his two men gave their best impression of brawny and dangerous.

"I'm just sayin' you don't get to speak about Maggie like that." Ricky said with a calm voice that belied his seething anger and Nori nearly elbowed him – _had he taken leave of his senses?_

While she appreciated his rightful anger, Nori had no need for knights in shining armour, thank you very much, and especially not foolish ones that were going to get them both knifed in five minutes give or take unless someone calmed the situation before it escalated.

"Ricky..." she said warningly, trying to convey the whole reasoning with two syllables.

"Yes, _Ricky_." the bearlike thug said stepping towards them menacingly, with his two men following suit "Listen to the filthy bitch here. And piss off, will ya?"

"I don't think so." Risky replied, then turning his head to her he hissed "Maggie, go!"

"I'm not going anywhere." she hissed back while the three men began closing on them.

"The deal." he said "Remember, you promised."

"It's not the same!" she protested, glaring at him while he squared his shoulders and cracked his neck left and right, readying himself for a brawl.

"It is. Go." he said, not looking at her and Nori bit back a colourful curse.

She bloody well hated him in that moment.

The three man were close and they were fanning out, to trap the two of them in their midst. Nori took a deep breath, channelling all her frustration in her muscles and readied herself. _Ready._ She hated him. Hated him. But she had promised. Ricky's fingers flexed, his knuckles white. _Set._ The man were almost upon them. _Go._ Ricky leapt with a growl, throwing a punch in the face of the nearest of the three. The man staggered and it was all Nori needed.

She took off in a sprint.

* * *

Chapter title taken from "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons.


	3. Into the breach

3\. Into the breach

On the edge.

* * *

The rubber soles of her boots pounded against the tarmac as she sprinted away, the second surge of adrenaline that night giving fuelling her muscles while her heart pumped blood at a frantic speed. She inhaled through her nose only to let the air out of her mouth a moment later while the distance between her and the men she had left Ricky with grew.

Nori groaned in frustration without breaking her speed. Ricky, the bloody idiot, stupid stupid, stubborn fool of a thief with moral standards and herself more stupid than him for agreeing on this job. A stitch in her side painfully reminded her of how little running she had done lately and she was scowling as she pressed on through the deserted street, her spleen be damned. She had long ran past Ricky's parked car – and another car which no doubt belonged to Ken and his men - and the crude walls of the rows of warehouses filled the periphery of her vision while she kept her eyes trained ahead.

She knew she wasn't so far away from the more trafficked part of the area and the faint rumble of cars passing drifted through the slightly chilly summer air. Turning a corner she exited the alley. Veering left, Nori slowed down to a stride, trying to steady her breathing to make herself less conspicuous. She fumbled through her pockets until she found her package of cigarettes and deftly lit one. Nori nearly coughed as her still heaving lungs were filled with smoke, but the motion of bringing the cigarette to her lips managed to steady her adrenaline-fuelled motions somewhat and Nori began considering her predicament.

How had everything managed to get so utterly cocked-up? They had been executing their task smoothly, like a well practised dance, matching the challenge of the job with years of practice – and loving every minute of it.

It was the one thing which Ricky and her had in common, their inability to stop before a challenge. In the eleven years since a sixteen years old Nori had approached to a barely twenty years old former juvenile delinquent with nimble fingers and a keen eye for hidden stashes, telling him she could pick a lock faster than him and that starting a joint venture in their branch would most profitable for the both of them, Ricky and her had walked on the razor's edge very often, their dedication to the job increasing as the danger of it did. But that didn't account for troubles born out owning a set of breasts in this particular life.

Nori inhaled a lungful of smoke, flicking the ash from the cigarette with sheer irritation. That _idiot._ That despicable specimen of male _idiocy_. Not that it had anything to do with gender. Nori had been very much male herself in her past life and she had never presumed to impose her – _his –_ interest on anyone. Not that it would have been wise to do so – the average dwarrowdam possessed axe-wielding skills enough to make anyone pay for dear life, she mused while a low chuckle escaped her lips. Nori imagined the treatment a man like Ken would have been given back in Thorin's Halls or even Erebor...

Times bygone, she thought morosely, taking another drag of smoke before she flicked the cigarette butt on the floor and squashed it under her boot, never breaking her stride. This was a different world and instead of angry dwarves and dwarrowdams she only had Ricky. Ricky whom she had left to fend on his own against Ken and his two thugs.

"Shit." she mouthed under her breath, stopping in the middle of the pavement and throwing a glance at the general area she had left some minutes prior.

Nori knew her business associate was quite capable of holding his own, even against three thugs, but Nori was nonetheless unable help the clench of worry – and guilt – from squeezing the pit of her stomach. She grimaced, suddenly torn between the pragmatic sense of hailing a cab and getting back home, calling Jimmy and reporting on their job, and the feeling that it wasn't really right to do so. She swore most colourfully as she glanced back and forth, unsure at what to do.

The worst part was that Ricky was risking his skin for _her._ She glowered at the tarmac under her boots. Several car sped by her as she stood motionless in the middle of the pavement.

Then, with a deep breath of exasperation she called herself an idiot and pivoted on her heels. And she took off into a run.

It was not a good idea, the survival instinct bellowed in her thoughts, but Nori had made up her mind. Danger or no danger – and stupid promises of fleeing if danger got too great notwithstanding – Ricky was her friend and Nori _had_ been a Dwarf in her past life. Loyalty, as questionable as Nori's had been, had still been the most important of all moral values for the former dwarf.

Staring ahead with newly-found determination, Nori had almost reached the corner where the main road connected to the alley she had come out minutes prior – the street leading to the area of the Port where Ricky had parked his car - when she heard the loud noise of an approaching vehicle coming from that direction, followed a moment later by the screeching of tyres as it braked. Acting on instinct Nori dropped down into a crouch, pretending to tie her shoe while she observed the lights on the tarmac. There had been only two cars parked in that area and she would have bet her hair it wasn't Ricky's grey Honda that waited to pull out on the main street.

Her heartbeats pounded loudly inside her head while she waited for what seemed like a small eternity, but was less than a minute in truth. She glanced at the black digits on her wristwatch while she waited impatiently for the vehicle to finally pull out on the main road and drive by her. The moment the large SUV passed her by Nori sprung to her feet and sprinted towards the alley the car had just left.

As her booted feet retraced her steps in a hurry Nori wondered what sight would greet her. Ken and his men had been with Ricky no more than ten minutes if her inner sense of time was to be trusted. So chances were her colleague was not it such a bad shape – or he was in a _really_ bad one. She squared her jaw as she hurried forward through the empty area.

She had just passed Ricky's car and reached the last warehouse before the Port when movement caught her attention and her feet found more speed in spite of the stitch in her side growing to a full-fledged stab of pain. Ricky was limping in her direction, a hand dragging on the concrete wall of the warehouse to keep his body upright.

"Shit." she muttered again, feeling a surge of guilt slam into her midsection at the sight of her staggering friend.

A moment later she was grabbing his elbow and he hissed turning his frowning face towards her.

"Wha' ya doin' ere?" he slurred through his split lip and winced when she turned his head towards the yellow light of the street-lamp to assess the damage.

She couldn't see much, but his swelling eye and smudge of blood on his upper lip and temple spoke eloquently. She could very well picture the punches – and possibly kicks – which had been aimed at his face. And judging by the way he was swaying on his feet she suspected it had resulted in a concussion. Shit. Nori pushed down the tide of anger which was rising in her chest while she gingerly prodded his ribcage, only to elicit a sharp intake of breath from the man.

"Trouble breathing?" she inquired and he blinked twice before shaking his head.

"Don't worry 'bout me, Maggie." he said "'m fine."

"Sure." she replied dryly, tossing his arm over her shoulder and circling her own around his back "Let's get to the car."

"You shouldn't be here." he told her dazedly "Dangerous."

"Yeah, I'm a bit of an adrenaline addict, if you hadn't noticed in the past decade, mate." she replied dragging them towards the nearby parked Honda.

He was heavy and the lack of collaboration of his limbs made it difficult, but she eventually managed to reach the vehicle. Fishing through her pockets for the spare keys Ricky had given her just in case, Nori unlocked the car, opening the passenger seat to put a mildly protesting Ricky onto the seat.

"I can drive." he said and Nori merely cocked an eyebrow, fastening his seat belt and slamming the door closed before she circled around the car and got onto the driver's seat.

"Sure you can. But not this time." she told him, starting the engine "I'm getting you to the A&E."

* * *

It was half past two in the morning when Nori exited the hospital, pushing a wayward lock of ginger hair behind her ear and zipping her jacket closed. Exhaustion gripped her hard, washing over her muscles in draining waves which left her wishing for nothing but the comfort of her bed. She allowed herself to picture the messy undone bed that awaited her at home, before she shook her head, fishing a cigarette from the quickly emptying package and flicking the lighter until the dried tobacco and paper sizzled to life. She took a drag of smoke, strolling away from the square building where she had left Ricky.

The doctor had told her they wanted to keep him overnight for observation. He had sustained several head injuries, but the one on his temple had worried them – along with the clear signs of concussion. Pretending to be the concerned girlfriend of the thief she had bid the doctor goodnight and left the A&E, unsure at what to do with the remainder of the night. Their gear was hidden in the back of Ricky's car and normally they would have already been at Jimmy's, dropping the goods. But she felt to tired and strung up to deal with their intermediary at the moment. And besides, the briefcase was in Ricky's rucksack and Nori had no desire to dig through his belongings – it was an unspoken rule, a sign of mutual respect, you don't mess with one another's gear. Well, if Ricky was not up on his feet by tomorrow she would have to do it – Jimmy couldn't wait forever – but just for the night it could wait.

She had reached the car and gripping the fag with her teeth she unlocked the Honda and got in.

As she turned the ignition on, Nori's thoughts veered once again towards the complete cock-up the night had been. Snarling at her own faint reflection on the inside of the windscreen Nori put into gear and pulled out of the parking lot. It was not in Nori's habit to overthink – that had been Nori's baby brother's department – nor to overfret like Dori had been wont to, and this whole situation had turned her sappy enough, what with the _sentimental_ worry for Ricky's well-being and her improvised urge to play the knight in shining armour. It sickened her somewhat.

She was not a hero - Nori had never been one. Quite the contrary in fact. As Nori had been told countless times in both lives, she was selfish and cynical, and her morals were loose at best. In short she was a _little shit,_ as someone had colourfully put once.

Increasing her speed, she switched lanes, veering right into a secondary street and driving towards a familiar area of Belfast. Yes, she was _not_ a good person. And turning into a poor replica of Nori's siblings was just plain wrong.

She was also terrified of her thoughts - but that was something she would only admit to the yellow light of the street-lamp she had driven past, before she promptly pushed it into the back of her mind, opening the window to flick out the cigarette butt onto the tarmac.

Faintly she could hear the deep beat of music carried by the nippy summer air and her scowl eased somewhat. Thinking was definitely not good. Not good at all. And as she listened to the gradually increasing volume of the music she reflected on the shy handful of things which were able to duct-tape the source of thoughts closed – the ones which were distracting enough. Drinking, shagging, thieving – but the latter had gone so splendidly tits up, it left fewer options.

And there was only so much she could do in the remaining ours of night before it would be all right to go back to the hospital and see if she could have her fellow thief back and finished their business with the Russian bloke who had hired them through Jimmy. Pulling over, she parked her car in an empty spot on the side of the street and took a deep breath. There were just a handful of things she could do and she was at the right place to perhaps do them all, but only if she got out of Ricky car.

But her fingernails refused to relinquish the grip on the steering wheel while the engine still rumbled. Because this wasn't what she _wanted_ to do, this wasn't where she wanted to _be._ But as the blinding neon lights of the hospital flashed on the back of her closed lids and the steady drip of the saline solution mixed with the sound of boots running over a metal deck and the quiet drilling of a safe served as a background to Ricky's angry red bruises on his puffy face – barely recognisable against the pristine white of the sheets – while the memory of snarls and shouts preceded the rush of adrenaline which had made Nori run faster than her temporarily out of shape body should have allowed, she bit back a string of curses, swiftly killing the engine and exiting the car in a heartbeat.

She needed a bloody drink.

* * *

The tiles were cold and hard against the back of her head, but she couldn't care less as she arched her body closer to the other woman, angling her head so their already ravishing kiss deepened. Nori's hands roamed greedily, pulling at the fabric of her thin shirt until she reached the warm skin at the small of her back. She dragged her nails across it and a moan escaped the brunette's throat. In the half-drunken haze Nori almost growled, pivoting them so the girl was pinned between her and the wall. She gasped for air and Nori began kissing the side of her neck, biting at the soft juncture with the collarbone, while her hands continued their exploration, eager to touch _everything._ The brunette moaned, arching her neck until her curly hair was pressed against the wall. It took all of her will power for Nori to hold onto her last shred of rationality as she listened to the sound escaping the plump lips – the last shed of coherent thought which reminded her they were still in the club's loo and she could really only push it as far in a public place. Not that anyone would mind much if they walked on them, but Nori wasn't nearly drunk enough.

The brunette's hands suddenly travelled down Nori's back until they firmly cupped her bottom, and her lips captured Nori's in another kiss. She felt her arms dragging her close, closer and Nori pushed a leg between the woman's thighs. The fingers on Nori's buttocks dug deeper. Nori gasped for air as her breasts were pushed against the other woman's bosom. She panted, as her lungs begged for air but her hands continued roaming, grasping at the exposed skin and pulling at the fabric where it got in the way. As the brunette began kissing the ridge of Nori's collarbone, Nori felt her head swim and she tried to inhale a deeper breath, but to no avail.

And in the fraction of a second it took the thought to cut through the haze of Nori's mind her knees were already buckling in spite of herself. Reflexively, a pair of hands gripped Nori's elbows while the woman's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Are you alright?" a worried lilt escaped the woman's lips and Nori felt her body sway almost limply.

Her ears were buzzing but somewhere underneath that sound the music still played. A fast beat, fast fast fast like her heartbeats. She tried to make sense of what she was being asked, but the world was spinning out of control and she felt the filthy tiles on the wall swerve left and right as her body moved out of its own accord.

Suddenly her face appeared in her line of sight, hovering above her.

Above her? How...

 _Oh, she was sitting._

When had she sat down?

The brunette's lips moved but Nori couldn't register really what it was she was saying, only that lips meant kissing. She _had_ been kissing her, hadn't she. Yes, she had been snogging the pretty brown-haired woman – girl? Was she younger or older than her? She had no idea? Nori had been kissing her and then and then. _Ah, no air._ Right. But, but... _breathing_. Why wasn't she properly breathing?

Pushing her diaphragm up Nori forced her lungs to expand, inhaling a deep breath of mildewy air. There was the faint smell of detergent and urine mingled with it and Nori exhaled it quickly through her nose, only to repeat the process once again. Then once more. And more, until the floor no longer tilted at a dangerous angle. Bit by bit the sounds of her surroundings got back into focus and Nori swallowed dryly, blinking several times.

"...call an ambulance or something?" the woman's voice drifted with an edge of panic in her voice.

Nori shook her head.

Only to curse herself immediately for the motion as it sent the world swimming once again. _Shit._

What was wrong with her? What in Mahal's bloody hammer...

Her blood pumped loudly in her ears and her thoughts were too scattered. Focusing on her breathing – why was her body betraying her? Breathing was elementary... - Nori let her lizard brain kick in and she began pushing herself to her feet. The brunette's hand shot out to help her and Nori's instinct was to bat it away but as the world kept spinning dangerously, her fingers curled around the the pale forearm and she hoisted herself up.

"You sure..." the girl began, but Nori merely blinked away her hazy observations, cutting her off with a croaked

"Yes." before turning her back and striding out of the ladies' room with as much determination as the still rocking world around her allowed.

* * *

The front-door slammed closed. The horrible sense of indetermination which had pooled in Nori's gut through the whole drive home had made her stomach turn and before she registered it she was kneeling on the bathroom floor, digging her short-cropped nails in the white plastic of the toilet seat while she heaved what little was left in her stomach of the drinks she had had at the club – what she had drunk before catching the tall girl's attention and ending up snogging the life out of her.

Breathing through her nose, she closed her eyes for a moment, gauging the likeliness of retching again. Nori felt all her strength drain on the cold tiles as she sat back on the balls of her feet once her stomach seemed to be done, which shifted her thoughts like a sucker-punch back to the girl – she had been so pretty and so _keen -_ and then further, to Ricky, to that _idiot,_ to the way the night had gotten so splendidly, thoroughly _cocked-up_.

Her body working on auto-pilot, Nori peeled herself off the floor and opened the tap on the sink before she furiously assaulted her teeth with her toothbrush, trying to wipe away the after-taste of bile and worry for the way everything had turned. She had nearly _fainted_ on that girl!

She spat the toothpaste in the sink, rinsing her mouth just as another wave of nausea travelled from the bottom of her stomach to stop somewhere midway up her gullet. Nori scowled. W _hat was wrong_ with her body?

Sure enough she had had more adrenaline coursing through her body than usual – not to mention the miles she had ran – but no amount of stress had ever had such an effect on her and the four shots of brandy she had drunk at the club barely explained her spell. Unless someone had dropped something in her drinks... No, she knew the bartender and she had downed them as soon as they had been handed to her. It was highly unlikely.

Groaning she considered al manners of alternative explanations for her body's acting up while she travelled towards the living room, trying to stay her fingers from pressing the call button on her speed dial to try to call Ricky. Not that it would help her solve her dilemma. But Nori hated feeling weak. And in the rare moments it had happened Nori had always had Dori and Ori, a _family._

But Ricky _wasn't_ family, she reminded herself as she plopped down on the sofa, dragging her feet up on the cushion until she was leaning her chin on her knees. He was her colleague, her _friend_ at best. And besides she couldn't exactly call him, now could she? He was sleeping a sedated slumber in hospital – where _she_ had landed him, albeit indirectly. Closing her eyes she dug her fingernails in the flesh of her calves, pushing her forehead against her knees until she felt the sharp bone against her skin.

Outside the light of dawn was painting the sky a pale grey and Nori shook as exhaustion made her eyes close.

* * *

Chapter title taken from "Ship To Wreck" by Florence + The Machine.


End file.
